Staff Profile: Mat McDonald

Director of Laboratory Services
Department of Biology

What attracted you to biology?
A desire to understand the diversity of life on our planet and the evolution of that life over time.

We couldn’t help but notice your bio-inspired body art. Why tattoos?
I look at them as art, but art that becomes part of you and ages with you. Whether your tattoo has a specific meaning or not, it becomes a memento of who you were at a point in time.

Fav tattoo?
The chambered nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, which I have on my right forearm.

Fav way to recharge?
I love spending time with my kids but spending time with my wife, Kat, is the best way for me to recharge. She is an incredibly creative person and my best friend.

Future plans?
Paleontology. If things go as planned, I will be joining Dr. Ken Lacovara’s paleontology lab this fall to begin work on my PhD.

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Dean’s Note

Four years ago, President Fry charged the University with becoming the most civically engaged in the nation. As you read through the pages of Ask, you’ll see that’s a challenge we’ve taken very seriously in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Editor’s Note

My husband and I traveled to Spain for the first time in September. After a long flight, a long layover and a long train ride, we stepped out into the dusty, vineyard- filled landscape of the small town of Haro.

The station was deserted — not a person, not a car, not a sound except the clicking wheels of our suitcases across the sidewalk.